Summary:Arthurian legend mixes with modern-day witchcraft in this haunting sequel to Legacy, which Publishers Weekly said “should please the legions of paranormal fans looking for a sophisticated supernatural thriller.” After the riveting—and romantic—events of Legacy, Katy has won Peter’s heart and is now claiming her place in the magical world. Though half the students at her boarding school come from witching lines, the use of magic is expressly forbidden at Ainsworth, so as to keep the witching world hidden from the blue-blooded preppies, aka Muffies, who also walk the halls.But the Muffies have at least a notion of magic, because Katy catches them staging a made-up ritual—and to her astonishment, the girls collapse at Katy’s feet and fall into comas. When Katy is blamed, she becomes desperate to clear her name and finds herself battling all odds to harness her growing magical powers in order to save the Muffies and dispel the Darkness once more.Source: I received a hardcover copy in exchange for participation in a blog tour and an honest review.

Review:

I loved Poison! I really liked the first book in the series, Legacy, and Poison didn't disappoint; it proved to be just as interesting as the first book. I couldn't put it down! There's something about Katy, the main character and narrator, that I absolutely love. Maybe it's her awkwardness, her need to be involved and help whatever the cost, her love for Peter, or the way she's always an outcast for some reason or another. She's so normal, even though she's not, if that makes sense. I find her to be so relatable and down to earth. She's a loner with woe-is-me moments, but she's not lame like heroines with similar feelings. She's still tough, but she's totally vulnerable and I love her.

When Poison first began, I thought it was really predictable and almost cookie cutter, which I kind of disliked. After so many of the negative reviews for book one were about the author's use of a formula or a stereotype, I was worried that book two might have been guilty of just that. However, despite the predictability of the first half of Poison, I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. I like Katy, her town, her story, and her adventures, and no amount of plot predictability got in the way of that. The second half of the book, though, was completely unpredictable, with tons of cool twists in the story that I appreciated.

I love what the author did with the plot in Poison. It's almost funny how I thought I knew what would happen and I was completely thrown by the time the second half of the book rolled around. I didn't expect such an intense and complex backstory and twist and I really enjoyed it. I love how the author weaved a story around legends most of us are familiar with. Poison went from being a fun and entertaining YA witch novel to an intelligent and interesting twist on familiar tales and legends in just a blink of an eye.

The romantic conflict in Poison was great. I was so torn and confused about what was happening between the characters and Katy's emotions had an effect on me throughout the novel. I lost hope when she did, I gained it back when she did, etc. So many YA novels with good vs. evil plots have the heroine fulfill some important role with guides and encouragement. In the Legacy series, however, older witches try to handle things without the assistance of teen witches. I like how it gives the series a bit of relatability since the real world is pretty much the same way. Teens aren't really given the go ahead to control or be responsible for life and death situations and are considered more of a hindrance than a help. I thought it made Katy and her world more real and believable in this regard.

The underlying themes in Poison were important, too. Katy's rejection, her feelings of loneliness, and her journey to understanding the motives of people around her helped her figure out her world and life in general. I felt like Katy grew up quite a bit in Poison compared to her growth in Legacy.
Overall, I highly recommend the Legacy series and Poison. I love the plot and I can't ever seem to get enough. For a YA witch in a boarding school story, it has it's own unique spin and it's totally entertaining.

Quotes I Enjoyed:

"'We all want that.' she said. "sometimes it happens, and someone does care. But when it doesn't, we have to be enough for ourselves. Do you get it?'
I nodded. 'Be my own hero.' I whispered."

"There is such promise in that faintly glowing blue stone, such a feeling of good times to come. That is how evil works, I've learned. It is not some dark, spectral thing that sets your teeth on edge. Sometimes it's lovely, compelling, a mermaid on the rocks, something sweet and laughing, with a knife between its perfect teeth."

About The Author:

Molly Cochran, author of the teen paranormal romances Legacy and Poison, has written 26 published novels and four nonfiction books under her own name and various pseudonyms. Her books include New York Times bestselling novels Grandmaster and The Forever King, coauthored with Warren Murphy, and the nonfiction Dressing Thin, also a NY Times bestseller.

She has won awards from the Mystery Writers of America (Best Novel of the Year), the Romance Writers of America (Best Thriller), and the New York Public Library (Outstanding Books for the Teen Age).

Seduction, the third installment in the Legacy series, is scheduled for release later this year through her publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Two eBooks, The Temple Dogs and The Forever King, are currently available through online retailers. A third, Grandmaster, will be available soon.

Molly has lectured extensively and has taught writing at the college level as well as at a women's prison (where she was NOT an inmate). She also writes a blog on writing technique which appears on her website.